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I enjoyed tasting three wines from Jim Barry at an industry tasting promotion showcasing Australia’s First Families of Wine. There is more information on Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW) available at the end of this review.

I feel fortunate to have met Peter Barry at the AFFW event. Peter’s passion, knowledge and charisma all shine brightly. He is as engaging as the wines I tasted were. Needless to say I enjoyed speaking with Peter during the speed tasting round and visiting with him to taste a museum wine he brought with him as well. I wish I could have spent much more time with him, learning about the history of his family and the stories behind the scenes.

From the Winery:
Jim Barry Wines is a family winery based in the Clare Valley of South Australia. The company was founded in 1959 by Jim and Nancy Barry. The company is now owned and managed by Peter Barry, a second generation family winemaker. Jim Barry Wines is home to some of Australia’s favourite wines such as The Armagh, The McRae Wood, The Benbournie, First Eleven, Pb, The Cover Drive, The Lodge Hill Shiraz, The Barry Brothers, The Florita, The Lodge Hill Riesling and Watervale Riesling.

Jim Barry Wines’ philosophy to winemaking is very simple: own the vineyards to develop the best fruit flavours possible and retain these flavours during winemaking. We firmly believe that great wine is made in the vineyard. Over our 55 years, we have worked to establish a mosaic of vineyards across the Clare Valley, each unique in site, soil and aspect. In addition to this, we have two vineyards in the Coonawarra region, where we grow Cabernet Sauvignon on the famous Terra Rossa soils.

The Armagh Shiraz has achieved extraordinary success and is regarded as one of Australia’s highest quality wines.

The vineyard was named after the adjoining hamlet of Armagh, established by Irish settlers in 1849 and named after the lush rolling hills of their homeland. Jim Barry planted the 3.3 hectare vineyard in 1968 with Shiraz grapes.

The vineyard is planted on its own roots on grey sandy abrasive topsoil over clay subsoil and receives an average rainfall of 600 millimetres per year. Such is The Armagh vineyards suitability that minimal intervention is needed to maintain yields below 4 tonnes per hectare, which produce rich and concentrated fruit of the rare quality required to produce wines with ageing potential

My Tasting Notes:
The Armagh Shiraz represents some of the best Shiraz from Clare Valley and Australia. It was one of the top three Shiraz and top five wines tasted at the AFFW event. This vintage has scored very well and for good reasons. Nine-years after bottling, the wine still shows great depth, dark rich colour and balanced. There is also a feeling of refinement, oak and tannin structure. It is still full of fresh and vibrant blackberry, licorice and plum flavours. This vintage is perfect now and for the next 10 years or more.

Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW):
AFFW together represent seventeen wine-growing regions across Australia and forty-eight generations of winemakers. The inaugural twelve-member alliance includes Brown Brothers, Campbells, Taylors, DeBortoli, McWilliam’s, Tahbilk, Tyrell’s, Yalumba, D’Arenberg, Jim Barry, Howard Park, and Henschke. Howard Park Wines is the only representative from Western Australia to be included in AFFW.

The aim of Australia’s First Families of Wine is to showcase a representative and diverse range of the best of Australian wine with a focus on regional and iconic drops. The collective is working to engage and educate consumers, retailers, restaurants and the wine industry across the globe about the real character and personality of Australian wine, and about the unique characters and personalities behind it.

The 2006 Jim Barry Armagh Shiraz was tasted on May 28, 2015 in Vancouver, BC.

Disclaimer: My wife and I are Key Club members at Long Shadows Vintners. We discovered Julia’s Dazzle by happenstance through Costco and became members of Long Shadows not long afterward. We caught the rosé wine bug a few summers ago and saw this entry level offering made with Horse Heaven Hills AVA (“H3”) fruit and tried it on a whim. H3 is a revered sub AVA of Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State.

August is Washington State wine month so I took advantage of a number of sales promotions to snap up a few rosés (and many other great wines) to try at fabulous prices. I have purchased more than a case of Julia’s Dazzle at various grocers and Costco. It is $11.99 at Costco and as low as $10.99 at my local grocer! I will use Costco’s price as a benchmark for this review.

I recently tried several rosés priced from $6 to $13 and will cover three from Washington State that I found were crafted very well and had consistent quality over the past two or three vintages. While most wine consumers associate rosé as a summer only wine I have found that it is quite versatile and pairs well with traditional European and Asian cuisine very well and can be enjoyed year round.

Julia’s Dazzle welcomes you with pleasing aromas of strawberries and Anjou pears and entices you on the pallet with strawberry, melon and stone fruit flavors that carry on a lengthy, dry finish. This wine balances acidity, structure and fruit very, very well. The wine looks pink on the store shelf at room temperature, but turns an opaque orange when chilled.

This wine is excellent on its own and is indeed a great summer sipper but is very versatile and pairs well with a variety of Asian dishes and I recently enjoyed it with Parma Prosciutto wrapped burrata (fresh bison mozzarella) with capers and basil. I like to start the dog days of summer off with either a nice bottle of bubbles or a sumptuous bottle of rosé like this one. Needless to say it has become one of our go to rosés.

Julia’s Dazzle is available through Costco, select merchants and grocers in standard 750mL bottles and 750mL and magnum 1.5L bottles from Long Shadows Vintners. This wine usually sells out before the summer gets rolling so consider yourself lucky that it is still available.

I recently tried several rosés priced from $6 to $15 and will cover three from Washington State that I found were crafted very well and had consistent quality over the past two or three vintages. This is the third of three wine being reviewed.

From the website:

The Charles & Charles project is a collaboration between Charles Smith and Charles Bieler of Three Thieves, Bieler Père et Fils, and Sombra Mezcal. The Charles & Charles portfolio includes a red blend and rosé from Columbia Valley vineyards (also available in kegs). With an abstract play on the American Flag (designed by the historic Nashville poster shop, Hatch Show Print), the labels showcase the intent to provoke thought of the future while honoring the past

My tasting notes:

This is a great rosé for the money. I recently tasted more than ten rosés from Washington State and several more from California, France and Canada.

The Charles and Charles Rosé opens with subtle aromas of strawberries, raspberries and tropical citrus notes. There is a nice balance of fresh fruit flavors of strawberry, tart cherry and raspberries that carry on to a nice mineral/citrus finish. The wine is harmoniously balanced and offer a generous mouth feel. It was one of the lowest priced rosés tasted and I would rank it as one of the top quality to price ratio (QPR) wines tasted.

You can follow me on Twitter: @stevekubota and read food, travel and wine reviews at: www.stevekubota.ca

Introduced into the New Zealand market in 1999, No. 1 Cuvee was the first wine to be produced by proprietors Adele and Daniel Le Brun at their family owned winery, established in 1997. Today the No. 1 Family Estate has an established vineyard and winery on Marlborough’s Golden Mile, Rapaura Rd, near Blenheim, crushing more than 30 tonnes annually. The family are committed to producing only premium Methode Tradionelle wines and to follow winemaker, Daniel Le Brun’s long-held vision of Marlborough as the only rival to Champagne.

My Tasting Notes:

I had tasted the No. 1 Family Estate Cuvee along with five other non-vintage and three vintage sparkling wines from New Zealand. The Cuvee was my second choice or runner up sparkling wine. This is a first-class sparkling wine exhibiting great balance filled with pronounced citrus and mineral flavours and traditional champagne (bread yeast and citrus) aromas that extended to a mouth-pleasing and fulfilling finish. There is a refined elegance to this wine.

From the Winery:
Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle is a wine of distinction, made in the traditional method to achieve elegance and finesse. Focused, fresh and crisp with beautiful balance and length

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Quartz Reef Brut at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay promotion. These sparkling and Chardonnay wines were chosen by an astute panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category.

The Brut was tasted with five other vintage and non-vintage sparkling wines. This is a balanced sparkling wine with baked-bread and apple aromas and apple and lime on the palate. There are enough bubbles that offer a creamy mouth feel and this Brut once again reminds me of quality French Champagne. The wine is good enough to drink on its own but best paired with a creamy, soft blue cheese on toasted baguette, west coast oysters on the half-shell and caviar. Drink now – 2020

Howard Park Wines is one of Western Australia’s leading boutique family owned wineries, responsible for brands Howard Park, MadFish and Marchand & Burch. They are also Western Australia’s largest boutique family-owned winery producing a range of handcrafted fine Australian wines from the state’s premier grape growing regions of Margaret River and the Great Southern.

I tasted three wines from Howard Park at an industry tasting promotion showcasing Australia’s First Families of Wine. I was not familiar with Howard Park prior to this event and I did not know what to expect before trying their wine. Needless to say I was very impressed and am now a huge fan. There is more information on Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW) available at the end of this review.

From the Winery:
‘Abercrombie’ is the definitive Cabernet Sauvignon of Howard Park Wines. Since the first release in 1986, a multi-region five-vineyard Western Australian blend, this wine has been a true reflection of the best fruit chosen from a selection of the oldest vineyards in Western Australia’s Margaret River region and cool climate Mount Barker and Porongurup sub-regions of the Great Southern. Produced from the top 1% of available Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and then only in the years when grapes of extraordinarily high quality are available.

Named after Jeff Burch’s Great-Grandfather Walter Abercrombie, this Howard Park flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its outstanding structural complexity and exceptional elegance. It combines the austere dusty earth and blackcurrant aromas from Mount Barker, with the classic rich fruit and chocolaty palette of Margaret River. Together they produce an elegantly balanced cabernet sauvignon with mature ripe tannins backed up by quality French oak. Careful long term cellaring will realize this wine’s full potential.

In Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine, the Abercrombie has an ‘Excellent’ rating, spanning back since Classification III in 2000.

Winemaking:
All grapes selected for Abercrombie are handpicked, destemmed and sorted before fermentation in a mix of small static fermenters and open stainless steel vats. The grapes are hand-plunged and pumped over as required to balance the extraction of colour, tannin and flavour. Each fermenter is basket-pressed to French oak barriques for 18 months of maturation to achieve thorough integration of oak and grape tannins. The wine is minimally fined then filtered prior to bottling.

My Tasting Notes:
The Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the top five wines tasted at the AFFW event. This Cabernet is old-world, Bordeaux-esque in its display of dark berry aromas with integrated ripe blackberry and currant fruit flavours with an herbaceous element in the finish. There is also a feeling of refinement, tannin structure and balance that also remind me of pricey left bank Bordeaux alternatives. This wine will reveal more layers of flavours and minerality, the benefits from additional time aging in the bottle. The winery suggests drinking the Abercrombie from 2017 and can be cellared for more than ten years.

Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW):
AFFW together represent seventeen wine-growing regions across Australia and forty-eight generations of winemakers. The inaugural twelve-member alliance includes Brown Brothers, Campbells, Taylors, DeBortoli, McWilliam’s, Tahbilk, Tyrell’s, Yalumba, D’Arenberg, Jim Barry, Howard Park, and Henschke. Howard Park Wines is the only representative from Western Australia to be included in AFFW.

The aim of Australia’s First Families of Wine is to showcase a representative and diverse range of the best of Australian wine with a focus on regional and iconic drops. The collective is working to engage and educate consumers, retailers, restaurants and the wine industry across the globe about the real character and personality of Australian wine, and about the unique characters and personalities behind it.

The Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon was tasted on May 28, 2015 in Vancouver, BC.

From the Winery:
Mission Estate was established by these Missionaries in Hawke’s Bay in 1851, where vines were planted to produce both sacramental and table wine and New Zealand’s first winery was born. The first record of a commercial sale dates back to 1870 when a parcel of mostly dry reds was sold.

Mission has never lost sight of its French heritage, as over the years Brothers of the Order have traveled to France to study and learn viticulture and winemaking skills. Our current winemaker Paul Mooney has been at Mission for over 30 years, and was originally trained by the Fathers. With over 160 years of winemaking tradition, we embrace both old world artistry passed down from the early winemaking pioneers, with leading edge technology. The result is an award-winning range of distinctly New Zealand wines.

Precision Viticulture allows us to optimize vineyard performance and our ongoing dedication to sustainable practices means Mission is one of the most energy efficient wineries in New Zealand..

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Mission Reserve Chardonnay at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay promotion. The wines for this event were chosen by an astute panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category. There are two main islands that comprise New Zealand. The Mission Reserve Chardonnay was tasted with five other north island producers and five producers from the south island. There are quite contrasting styles from each region making this a potpourri and flavourfest for lovers of Chardonnay. The acidity levels for most of the wines from New Zealand run quite high.

This is a medium bodied, balanced wine that opens with lemon and lime aromas wrapped around a mineral, limestone core. I enjoyed the minerality, freshness and dry finish. This Chardonnay is elegant enough to drink on its own but you could pair this with oysters on the half-shell, creamy seafood pasta and SE Asian cuisine.

The Man O’ War story begins with a special piece of land which has a rich history. Located at the eastern end of Waiheke Island, Man O’ War is a stunning array of coastal hillsides with high cliffs and pristine beaches forming a ruggedly beautiful coastline.

It was along this coastline that Captain James Cook came to anchor during his first voyage around the islands of New Zealand in 1769. Upon sighting the ancient stands of magnificent Kauri trees ashore, Cook noted in his journals that they would make ideal masts for the Man O’ War battleships of the Royal Navy. Thus the name Man O’ War was bestowed upon this unique land.

With a desire to protect this treasured land’s natural beauty and sense of history for future generations, our family purchased the four contiguous farms that now form the 4,500 acres of Man O’ War in the early 1980s. And so began our adventure of exploring this land, along the way naming our ‘discoveries’ in honour of family history, naval legacy, and of this special place itself.

Our Blanc de Blanc is christened in our mother’s native tongue for her first granddaughter, Tulia, which in Finnish means a small and gentle breeze. Valhalla Chardonnay is named after the shining and golden hall in Norse mythology where the souls of fallen warriors feasted with the gods; Valhalla is also the name of the depot ship that supplied the Royal Navy Motor Launch our grandfather commanded during WWI. Exiled Pinot Gris is named in tribute to Napoleon’s final place of exile where he was banished after his defeat at Waterloo. While Gravestone Sauvignon Semillon alone takes its name from the fluted basalt boulders that solemnly surround the hilltops of Man O’ War.

Our Ironclad Cabernet Franc Merlot blend is labelled in honour of the 19th century warships characterized by the iron armour bolted onto their wooden hulls. Emulating the new class of “fast” battleship that was blessed with an intoxicating combination of elegance and power; Warspite. This is our Cabernet Franc Merlot Malbec blend from Ponui Island, which is designated for the graceful power of the Royal Navy’s “Grand Old Dame”.

Dreadnought Syrah is named after the first in a line of 20th century battleships which was bestowed with the motto “fear god and dread nought” and embodied a supreme combination of speed and power. Bellerophon Syrah Viognier is christened in honour of the heroic demi-god astride an immortal winged-horse; Bellerophon designates both a new class of Dreadnoughts, and the first blend of Syrah and Viognier from our volcanic hillside vineyards..

Precision Viticulture allows us to optimize vineyard performance and our ongoing dedication to sustainable practices means Mission is one of the most energy efficient wineries in New Zealand.

Over two hundred years after Cook first sighted Man O’ War we were convinced that world class wine could be grown here. We began planting our first vines in 1993. Today Man O’ War consists of 150 acres of vines planted in 76 individual hillside blocks, each with a distinct soil profile and microclimate.

Every single block bears the footprints, and sometimes the names, of those who transformed Man O’ War’s rugged hillsides into a spectacular patchwork of vines.

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Man O’ War Chardonnay at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay promotion. The wines for the event were chosen by an astute panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category. There are two main islands that comprise New Zealand. The Chardonnay was tasted with five other north island producers and five producers from the south island. There are quite contrasting styles from each region making this a potpourri and flavourfest for lovers of Chardonnay. The acidity levels for most of the wines from New Zealand run quite high.

This Chardonnay stands out by its intense minerality in the nose. I found it a bit overwhelming at first but it dissipated as I intentionally warmed by glass with my hands. There was a nice weight and mouth-feel that started to show tropical fruit flavours, roasted nuts and toasted croutons. The high acidity became more pronounced as I warmed the glass, too. This Chardonnay is good enough to drink on its own but best paired with salmon, seafood pasta, charcuterie and smoked Gouda or creamy bleu cheese.

About the Winery:
From a one-man band to a global brand in just 50 years. In 1961, at just 21 years of age, Sir George Fistonich leased five acres of land from his father in Mangere, Auckland and started off with just an acre of vines. He harvested his first grapes in 1962 and made his first wine under the name Villa Maria.

Throughout the 1960s Villa Maria was a one-man band, with George’s wife, Gail, supporting him in his venture. He made dry red and white wines, sourcing grapes from the greater Auckland regions. In the early 1970s he started to employ staff and the company began to expand rapidly. Today, Villa Maria employs more than 250 permanent staff and exports wine to over 50 countries worldwide.

Winemaker Comments:
Styled to capture the regional essence of Gisborne, the Barrique offers a complex medley of fresh stone fruit aromas with hints of tropical fruits and smoky grilled nut characters. The palate is seamlessly textured with a creamy mid-palate, leading to a finish extended by harmonious acidity. This wine is well-integrated and appealing for enjoyment on release, but will continue to develop further complexity with maturation

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Villa Maria Gisborne Reserve Chardonnay at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay media event. The wines for the event were chosen by a panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category. There are two main islands that comprise New Zealand. The Chardonnay was tasted with five other north island producers and five producers from the south island. There are quite contrasting styles from each region making this a potpourri and flavourfest for lovers of Chardonnay. The acidity levels for most of the wines from New Zealand run quite high.

The Villa Maria greets you with light tropical fruit, honey dew and mineral aromas. My expectations may have been too high for this barrique fermented wine but I found the melon and fruit flavours on the lighter side. The wine tight-ropes a fine line, balancing the melon flavours, acidity and mineral finish. There was an even weighting and pleasant mouth-feel with a crisp, dry finish. This Chardonnay can be enjoyed on its own but I suggest pairing it with dungeness crab cooked Chinese style with ginger and garlic or Italian influenced white truffle, smoked pork belly mac and cheese.

TOI TOI WINESRESERVE CHARDONNAYWAIMAUKA, WEST AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALANDAbout the Winery:
A family run business, Toi Toi Wines, (pronounced Toy Toy), is inspired by NZ’s natural beauty and awe inspiring flora and fauna. The Toi Toi is our largest and most graceful native grass. There are four Toi Toi sub species which have naturally adapted to New Zealand’s diverse sub-regional climates, like our grape varieties.

This natural adaptability and majesty has provided inspiration for our winemaking philosophy:

To create quality, distinctive New Zealand wines by sourcing premium varietals from the regions in which they are most renowned. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, Pinot Noir from Central Otago and Late Harvest Riesling from Waipara.

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Toi Toi Reserve Chardonnay at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay media event. The wines for the event were chosen by an astute panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category. There are two main islands that comprise New Zealand. The Chardonnay was tasted with five other north island producers and five producers from the south island. There are quite contrasting styles from each region making this a potpourri and flavourfest for lovers of Chardonnay. The acidity levels for most of the wines from New Zealand run quite high.

This Chardonnay is similar to many of the north island Chardonnays by a distinct, wet stone, shale or slate minerality in the nose. The Toi Toi was one of the best of class at this tasting. You are also greeted with vibrant lemon/citrus zest and succulent Bosch pear aromas, wet stone (slate) and smoky oak in the aromas and on the palette. There was a nice, even weighting and a generously pleasing mouth-feel and a good, lengthy finish. This Chardonnay stands on its own but even better paired with roasted chicken, rabbit and/or Cobb Salad. I would have scored it higher if it was just a tad dryer.